


Siren's Song

by samedifference61



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark Rey, Emperor Hux, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Jealousy, M/M, Multi, Pon Farr, Reylux - Freeform, Telepathy, Threesome - F/M/M, where i continue to borrow from star trek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-15 03:44:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13604844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samedifference61/pseuds/samedifference61
Summary: Even with so far to go— do you see it? How far we’ve come?Rey the Scavenger from Jakku, also known as the Resistance Killer, will come in three days time. The fever will last an additional three days for both her and Ren, and then she will be gone again.Hux didn’t come to reign over this Empire by avoiding the inevitable.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the [reylux not-bang](https://reyluxnotbang.tumblr.com/), and I have no other excuses other than my own self-indulgent need to solve love triangles with poly relationships. The Force leaves open a world of possibilities...

>   _Even with so far to go— do you see it? How far we’ve come?_

 

“I dreamed of her last night.”

Hux doesn’t need clarification. There is only one  _her_. The same  _her_ that will forever be the only _her_ left between them.

“How many?” Hux keeps his voice neutral, smoothing the collar of his ceremonial tunic by carefully pinching it between thumb and forefinger. He hates a wrinkled collar.

“Five,” Ren keeps eye contact through the mirror’s reflection. This is how Hux knows he’s telling the truth. Hux blinks, then moves his attention to the buttons of his waist coat and motions a droid away from doing it for him.

He’s irritated Ren has waited this long to say something. Five dreams likely means a weeks’ time between now and the first of this series. They've started sooner this time. They had estimated the dreams, the visits, would only occur once per year when provisions were put into place.

“Very well. The fever will begin soon. When will she come?”

Ren runs two big hands over his face and back through his hair like he’d rather discuss anything else. “Three days. Maybe a day more depending on fuel availability.”

“Three days?” Hux sneers. He hates that they’ve set a timeline without his input. He never really has a say about these particular visits, but— it would have been nice to know sooner.

“That is cutting it quite close, Ren.”

“She’s in the Unknown Regions presently. It can’t be helped.” Ren scowls at Hux while he says all of this because Hux knows exactly where she is— he sent her there. Ren’s awareness has greater precision through, their bond allowing them to communicate and track each other across vast reaches of time and space.

“Fine. Have the eastern rooms prepared.” This, Hux directs toward the protocol droid awaiting such orders.

“Right away, sir,” the droid answers, exiting the room with a regulation bow.

“We will need to move the dates for the Relen VI envoy as you will not be able to travel next week—”

“I’ll be fine by next week,” Ren insists, but Hux ignores him, talking over his low grumble.

“—but other than that, three days from now will be acceptable. I’m addressing the senate in four days time. We shall welcome her— _officially_   then.”

Ren tips his head back, looking at the ceiling as if it will share in his quite exasperation. His cheeks appear flushed and Hux wonders if the fever has already settled. Hux didn’t notice as much before now, but Ren always remains quiet about his discomfort until it is unbearable. A habit Hux was never able to break him from.

“Hux—I wish you wouldn’t.”

_Parading her in front of the senate is not necessary every time she comes here. She’s very aware of who remains in control without your humiliation tactics._

Hux roughly rolls up his sleeve and pretends not to hear Ren’s mental projection. He straps the secret blade to his forearm with more force than necessary, securing it in place.

“No. We will welcome her as we  _always_  do, Ren. It has been this way for five years now? Yes, we will welcome her at the senate hearing and have her here for dinner.”

Yes, this is fine.

Rey the Scavenger from Jakku, Knight of the Order of Ren, also known as the Resistance Killer, will come in three days time. The fever will last an additional three days for both her and Ren, and then she will be gone again. Just as it has happened annually every year of Hux’s reign as Emperor of the Empire of the First Order. Better to have it over with now, Hux reasons, smoothing on one white glove at a time, making a fist to feel the stretch of fabric fitting into place. Hux will have Ren all to himself for a year afterward.

He didn’t come to reign over this Empire by avoiding the inevitable.

* * *

Ren is useless for the better part of the next three days.

He secludes himself in the east wing rooms preparing for Rey’s arrival, meditates for much of the night and paces while in Hux’s presence, unable to sit or pay attention for any length of time. Unlike in the beginning when Ren would rage, fight the fever until he was exhausted and trembling, only giving in at the very moment of their renewed physical connection— he more or less accepts what will happen now. They both do. It remains the worst part though, Hux thinks, the anticipation, the waiting of it. Hux has always hated the waiting.

The fever builds in Ren steadily and Hux can do nothing to quell it. He spends the whole of the second day in the combat room, doing round after round of training simulation, only to return sweaty and tired, but unsatisfied. They fuck furiously that night, but the bond creating this fever in him is having none of it. Heated lips, a sweat sheen covering him until he’s barely sleeping, until meditation is barely helping, and he’s mentally projecting without meaning to.

Hux hates the wisps of fever dreams that snag against his skin like rusted fish hooks. It’s always just an impression of what is happening inside Ren’s mind, but even that is enough to leave Hux winded, unraveling his own thought processes more often than not.

The smell of Rey is always the thing that grinds into Hux most. Desert sun, ozone, amber. The moving images he can deal with, the touch of hands, lips, thighs, memories spread over half a decade spent together, but mostly apart. Hux will never pretend to understand how, but the smell of her lingers in these fever impressions until they leave Hux noticeably stewing in his own anger and Ren has to press in close from behind, whispering a raspy  _sorry_ into every press of a kiss along Hux’s skin. The  _sorrys_ come more frequently once Ren is too far into the fever to control what makes it past his weakened mental shields, and Hux? Well, he’s still too stubborn to move away even when the bond is hissing  _you don’t belong_.

_I never asked for this. I’m sorry I cannot undo this._

And the truth of it is, he’s not sure Ren would undo it if he could, this bond he shares with Rey. It is something to endure. They, all three of them, have their burdens to bear.

* * *

Hux wakes on the third night to Ren sitting at the edge of their shared bed, only clothed in softly worn sleep trousers, too far away. The shadows play against the angles of his back and Hux would reach out, touch him, if he thought any of this was meant for him.

_She’s here._

Ren sends this mentally, loud and vibrating, unable to control the volume or intensity of his own telepathy, even for Hux’s comfort.

Hux sighs, fully awake now. He keeps the words close to his chest, still humming within his ribcage. Ren will likely leave soon, direct her toward the rooms in the eastern wing where they’ll be sequestered till morning when the official welcoming happens. She’s early this time, but there’s nothing to do about it. Hux cannot keep them apart till morning, imagines he would suffer greatly if he dared to try.

A moment longer and a shadowed figure is swooping down over the railing, footing light enough that Hux would never notice it if not for Ren’s mental warning. How easily she could turn all of this against him if she wished.

“Hux.” Ren says this aloud, but keeps his head turned toward the balcony, tracking the figure keeping to the shadows and easing the bedroom door open without touching it, letting in the sea-salted breeze from the cliffs behind— or maybe Ren opens it. Hux cannot be certain.

“Ren,” Hux echoes back over a forced yawn. He pulls the blankets up to his chin and curls into them, whispers, “I know what’s going to happen. You don’t need permission.” He’s feigning nonchalance, and it’s absurd because they’ll both see right through any attempts to appear indifferent.

When Rey pads across the bedroom floor, she doesn’t ask permission. Hux cannot see her face with the helmet in place. There’s a thick grey cloak too, but beneath it, the shape of her is distinct. If that weren’t enough, the relief coming off of Ren in gentle waves is confirmation.

“Rey,” Ren whispers and reaches for her with bare hands. She takes them, always takes his hands now, and he pulls her close. When they touch, their bond flares with enough energy that even Hux can feel it. Two big hands clutch at her back, while Ren nuzzles his forehead into her stomach and rubs his face into her tunic.

“Ben,” she answers, the word stinging Hux as much as it always does. She removes her gloves to reveal the organic left and the cybernetic right, sinks them both through Ren’s hair, combing it back and curling her small body around his face. There’s a blaster fastened to her thigh, a custom build Hux hasn’t seen before, and her double-edged lightsaber is retracted and clipped to her belt. Hux knows there’s a secret blade concealed in her left boot, strapped to her leg too, stolen from Hux years ago. Ren looks vulnerable, bare stretch of shoulders and spine in the moonlight, while Rey is fully armored, ready for battle.

Hux wonders if they’re both too far gone to care about modesty in his presence, and he isn’t ready for that much truth, will leave if it comes to that. As he’s thinking this, they both turn to stare at him in the darkness, their breathing already insync. They seem to come back to themselves and nod in unison, agreeing to something Hux never asked of them.

“Hux,” Rey acknowledges, and she almost sounds fond behind the distortion from the vocoder.

“Rey,” Hux greets, the single syllable stuck in his throat while every part of him rebels against it. Saying her name always makes this too intimate, too real.

Ren stands, takes Rey’s hand and leads her from the room. There will only be droids awake at this hour, and Hux’s personal guard are mute for a reason.

* * *

 

Hux doesn’t see them until the senate hearing the next day, until they’re parted and fully armored, Ren’s mask in place to hide whatever evidence lingers from the night. Even this amount of distance between him and Rey will be painful at this stage, but Hux won’t make concessions. Fairness is never part of this particularly negotiation.

As usual, Ren stands to his right, just behind him, when he steps before the First Order senate and begins the welcome.

“The Empire of the First Order welcomes Rey of Jakku, Knight of the Order of Ren, Resistance Killer, to our great capital city of Tyarina.”

The senate politely cheer when Rey steps forward, keeping her face forward as she moves through the center of the seated senate members. Her presence here always has mixed reactions. The senate would never question Hux’s motives outwardly, but more than a few of them are aware of her recent past, her initial siding within the Resistance before it was scorched by her own hand five years ago— this is the narrative they believe anyway. It wasn’t easy to bury the truth of her involvement in the Resistance’s fall, how she raged and bled and fought its inevitable fall to the very end, but Ren would not be here at his side without promises, and Hux is nothing if not resourceful.

 _If you spare her, this will all be yours. I’ll give you everything— if you’ll let her live_. Ren’s words, while she was suffering through shock from her severed and cauterized right arm, at the First Order’s mercy with an army of stormtroopers advancing steadily toward them. Hux remembers the rain. A steady acidic drip that stung his eyes while he wavered between blind rage and pathetic sympathy, the pain in his shoulder from his own saber wound spiking his adrenaline levels. He remembers lowering Ren’s lightsaber and the press of Ren’s lips into a thank you, arm rain slick and tinged with blood when the saber fell from his hands. At the end of it all, stood over them with all the power, but still unable to do the difficult task.

_We are bound by the Force. Even in death, I cannot separate myself from her._

At the hearing, Rey comes forward, a shrouded figure in grey robes, black fabric and heavy armor flanking her sides making her appear broader than she is, more menacing. The helmet is the same, silver with black and grey accents, all Ren’s design, a mirror image of his own helmet. Ren is vibrating with tightly-wound energy beside Hux as she draws near. Hux holds himself still, numb to the truth so blindingly obvious to anyone who cared to look.

Rey climbs the ten stairs to where Hux is standing, robes billowing behind her, and he stops her with a wave of his hand. Ren steps past him to meet Rey on the stairs, and Rey kneels before them, bows her head at Ren’s feet, palms up in submission.

“Remove your helmet and weapons, Rey of Jakku,” Hux commands, infusing his voice with all the pageantry he can muster. “Pledge your allegiance to the Empire of the First Order and prove you remain among our allies.”

Rey starts with her gloves. Removes them to reveal the right cybernetic hand. Her hood is next, and she pulls it back to release the locking mechanism to remove her helmet. Places it at her feet with a heavy thud.

It’s the first time Hux has seen her face in eight months. The unassuming innocence left her long ago though, and these days she paints her eyes with kohl, a smudged line along the rims of her eyes, smeared across her lids and along her temples, and the brown of her eyes glow with a faint rim of amber. Rey’s hair is shaved at one side and braided tightly on the other. The flush coloring her cheeks could easily be written off as the heat under the helmet, but Hux knows it’s due to the fever. She’s sneering, hates this display of dominance, the spectacle surrounding her arrival is a painful reminder of all the reasons why she must stand before them and state her allegiance. Hux considers it an even trade for what she’s gaining. Protection. Access to Ren. A life beyond that of a scavenger.

She removes the blaster next, places it in Ren’s waiting palms and he disarms it with practiced ease, disassembles the barrel and gives the pieces to a waiting storm trooper. She removes the lightsaber next, and this always gains a hushed murmur from the senate. They only know one other who carries such a weapon. This one’s a double bladed staff, and the senate doesn’t know Ren helped her forge it. Bent and formed it with his own hands once Rey accepted her title of Resistance Killer. Rey is never happy to hand her saber over, but Hux insists she must make a public statement of submission to remain loyal in the eyes of the First Order.

It’s hard to read Ren’s expression behind his helmet, but Hux knows he hates this too. He never shook the Jedi belief that only the owner of the lightsaber shall handle it. Ren disassembles the two halves of the saber, which doesn’t do anything effectual beyond creating two weapons from one, but it gives those in the room enough reason to believe it’s disarmed. He doesn’t hand the saber over to the ‘trooper, but clips both pieces to his belt to rest next to his own larger saber, forming a distinct triad. No one else will be handling Rey’s lightsaber, and Hux conceded to this years ago.

Rey raises her head, stoic stare fixed on Hux and clearly states, “I, Rey of Jakku, Knight of the Order of Ren— the Resistance Killer, remain a devoted servant of Emperor Armitage Hux of the Empire of the First Order. May the Empire extend to the far reaches of the unknown galaxies. I pledge to protect and serve according to the needs of the Empire and according to the righteous commandments of its sworn Emperor.”

“Protect and Serve!” the senate members echo in thunderous syncopation.

* * *

 

Hux makes them stay the length of the senate hearing, both just behind him, Ren at his right and Rey close, but not near enough to provide any lasting relief for either. Maybe it’s cruel, but Hux learned a long time ago that he must hold onto the measure of control he has on them both with two hands if he means to be part of what happens next.

They part ways after, Ren following Hux to his offices, pulsing with the need to quiet the fever and quietly simmering in his own anger for being apart from her.

 _Hux,_  Ren mentally pleads.  _Let me go to her._

“Just a while longer. I need you,” Hux warns. It’s a dangerous line to cross. Hux hasn’t felt the need to push either of them on this in some time. He wonders how much longer he has before Ren’s rage boils over and his promises to Hux mean little under the fever’s influence.

Hux hardly has a chance to test this because it’s Rey who comes to Ren, waves off Hux’s personal guard with a flick of her wrist, and lets herself into Hux’s private offices where he hoped he’d have a moment to discuss the diplomacy mission in a few days time, alone.

Rey hisses, “If you’re quite satisfied—”

Hux folds his arms across his chest where he’s seated at his desk, “You will address me with respect at all times, whether in the presence of the First Order Senate or otherwise.”

“Rey,” Ren warns, but it’s weightless, barely more than a greeting, and he’s already unlocking his own helmet and reaching for Rey’s with shaking hands while she’s pulling it up and off to reveal a ruthless sneer layered over barely contained arousal. It’s enough to earn a quiet gasp from Ren.

They stare at each other for long moments, and Hux feels the control shift in the room so abruptly, he’s left with this aching loneliness in his chest that only adds fuel to his own anger. Hux knows there’s a second, silent conversation happening without his awareness, but neither gives enough away for Hux to parse together what might be said between them.

“Apologies, Emperor,” Rey finally says, already breathless while her eyes remain locked on Ren, crowding him backward until her bodies are flush together. “I will endeavor to stand without comment at the next hearing until— you’re properly satisfied with the my level of humiliation.”

Hux frowns, irritated at her sarcasm and wanting Ren to admonish her for such disrespectful behavior, though— he’s nearly certain it was Ren who demanded she apologize in the first place. The fever will likely brush this aside, and Hux has the foresight to admit the present situation could escalate quickly. They have yet to have a full day in each other’s presence to dampen the fever. It will still be burning brightly enough for neither to care about public displays of affection— or anything else, even in Hux’s presence. Hux making them wait will contribute to the intensity of that need.

When Rey reaches up to lock her hands at Ren’s neck, Ren picks her up without much effort and deposits her on Hux’s very expensive, very new, desk. Hux stands, alarmed but still stubborn enough to protest.

“I’ve given you permission to use the eastern rooms for this very purpose. I wholly object to this display and order you to relocate—”

“No, here. Here is good,” Rey breathes out.

Ignoring Hux completely, Rey unlaces her boots with one hand while the other is still locked firmly around Ren’s neck, not letting him move away. She shoves her leggings down and Ren presses in close, burying his face in her neck with a growl.

Ren hitches her legs up high along his waist and issues a final warning, “You’ll want to leave now, Hux.”

Hux is stunned silent, confused by how curious it is to see Ren sexually aroused by someone else. It’s never been so blatantly in his face before. Hux has always been far too jealous to entertain thoughts of watching Ren fuck other people, but in some ways this is different. Rey isn’t a nameless whore paid to do whatever Hux wants. She’s Ren’s equal in the force, his counterpart, and as much to blame for any of this as Ren is.

Rey leans back, sweeping away a stack of important paperwork, her hands catching on the edge of Hux’s holoprojector, caring very little for its fragility or expense. She keeps her eyes on Ren while he pulls his own leggings down over his thighs, completely absorbed in the physical contact needed to quiet their bond. They’re still clothed enough that Hux sees very little, but that’s hardly the point.

“Or stay,” Rey blurts out. If Hux weren’t already mortified, he would be now. “This urgency is your fault, after all. Making us wait.”

Needing to clear his head, Hux leaves without any further comments, but makes sure to slam the door in his wake. Behind the door, Hux lets out a breath, confused by the small tendril of arousal curling in his stomach at Rey’s instance that he stay, that he  _could_ if he wanted, and Ren’s— lack of objection.

That’s not— how any of this is supposed to work.

* * *

 

Hux stated they would have dinner, and he won’t concede to this point either.

Hours later, they’re in Hux’s private dining rooms, mostly left to themselves with the occasional domestic droid buzzing about. Hux takes a swallow of brandy, lets it chase away any lingering visuals of their earlier encounter. He won’t think of that now. There are more important things to discuss.

“What news of the Unknown Regions?”

“You honestly want to discuss the news?” Rey scoffs, chewing much too loudly and reaching across the table instead of asking for Hux to pass the bowl of vegetables to her. Hux leans back with a sneer once she’s practically in his lap. Hux values personal space. Rey knows this. Jakku must breed savages.

Ren ducks his head to hide his smile, but Hux isn’t blind. The fever makes Ren a simpering fool, smiling freely, qualifying Rey’s behaviour as endearing and not incredibly invasive. He ignores the lingering impressions Rey sends his way— a copy of Ren’s emotions sent along like a game of Telephone:

_Warmth. Curiosity in seeing them together, Rey and Hux, interacting with some degree of amiability. Cutting each other down with words, building each other back up with promises. Do you see it?  How far we've come? Near enough to touch, one with each hand. Both of them sucking his cock at the same time, trading wet kisses with swollen lips between them, looking up at Ren on folded knees while Ren demands more from above them._

Ridiculous. Hux might reconsider their seating arrangements for the next meal.

“Yes, I would like to discuss the news, Rey. Information is useful,” Hux fires back without addressing the pornograhic fever dreams he’s been dragged into, and hardly feeling as if he needs to justify himself to her. _“Information_ keeps this empire running efficiently.”

Rey crosses her legs under her while she eats, loose sleeping tunic practically falling off of her in stark contrast to the formal armor and helmet from earlier. Ren is similarly dressed, through he did manage to find a training shirt he often wears for combat simulation to put on over his loose sleep trousers. Rey hasn’t showered, hair messy and kohl smeared under her eyes. Neither of them have showered for the occasion, but in his own formal attire, Hux tries his best to ignore this too.

Rey has no care for formalities here and Ren seems to have fallen into a similarly distasteful pattern. Hux wonders when they managed to cross the line into the familiar without his notice.

“They’re the Unknown Regions for a reason, Hux. I’ve not found the magical planet filled with caves of Kyber Crystals. At least, not yet. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Hardly. I would know about such a planet if it existed.”

He should admonish her for addressing him so informally. Rey raises her eyebrows, still smiling. There’s a glow about her, and Hux hopes  _he_  doesn’t get that way, that the evidence isn’t so clearly flushed against his cheeks after Ren has fucked  _him_ good and proper. How embarrassing.

Ren coughs, shifts a little in his seat, like Hux has just said all of this aloud. Hux sighs, his annoyance growing. “It appears my thoughts will not remain my own for the next few days. Well noted.” Rey has the audacity to laugh at this and bite at her bottom lip, before shoving in more food with little finesse.

“Are you not hungry?” Rey says to Ren across the table, mouth full of food, while Ren is only picking at his, barely eating. “I’m starving.”

“Not for food,” Ren murmurs aloud frowning down at the plate before him. He must say the rest of it in his head, if the flush creeping along Rey’s cheeks is any indication.

Rey stares, mouth open wide. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“Right,” Hux says, trying to get the conversation back on track. “The unauthorized trade routes from Relen VI to East Res’ete, are they running yet? Our spies have not detected as much, but I am unconvinced. My Trade Minister is convinced the black market will outrun our current grain and protein suppliers in the core system before we’re able to dismantle it. She wants swift action.”

“No,” Rey scoffs like she can’t imagine why Hux would be worried. “It’s a collection of backwater thieves and minor traffickers with only their own self interests binding them. They’ve no interest in collective needs. They’ll outrun each other given a month.”

“Regardless,” Hux continues. “I’ve decided to send a military envoy there next week to derail the operation.”

Rey frowns, disgusted with the possibility, but it’s likely she already knows what Hux’s intentions were. She knows everything Ren knows. “There are mostly women and children colonizing Relen VI. They’re at no fault in this situation. Leave them be.”

“Their bloodline connections to the traitors lead us to believe otherwise. They remain a threat. Did you not just stand before me pledging to protect and serve?”

Rey smiles at him, all teeth, and not an ounce of humility. “I did. So I shall accompany Ben to the Unknown Regions when he leaves for the mission.”

Hux grits his teeth. Sending Rey and Ren out together has about as much appeal as a tooth extraction. “No, that won’t be necessary. You will return to Terra Vir and report back with information regarding any fallout from Ren’s mission to Relen VI.”

Rey gives him a long suffering look, like this order is far from finalized.

“You’re mother’s fine, by the way,” Rey says suddenly, keeping her gaze fixed on Hux, though Hux knows she isn’t speaking about his own mother.

With irritation, Ren says, “I didn’t ask about my mother.”

“Ren’s mother is dead,” Hux insists, though he knows that’s not true. It doesn’t matter because Rey ignores him.

“You don’t need to ask about her. There is very little I don’t know about you, Ben. Especially now. I know you think about her. She thinks about you often, so I thought you might care enough to hear she’s well.”

Hux bangs the hilt of his fork down on the table, but then takes a breath before speaking again. “You’re not to speak of her.”

Rey could convey this knowledge to Ren in an instant, so she’s only saying it aloud to challenge Hux, to push  _him_ on the subject of Leia Organa. The fact that Leia’s still alive is something that could send Hux to his grave and destroy everything he’s worked toward in the last five years. It’s something left unfinished and a  particularly sore point between them. Rey knows this.

“She wants to see you,” Rey says, insistent.

“She’s alive. That isn’t enough for her?” Ren looks anguished, torn even when the anger builds. Hux doesn’t need to say anything else. Ren doesn’t want to see his mother, and Rey isn’t going to change that with platitudes, bond or no bond.

“No, it’s not enough,” Rey sighs. “Maybe you’ll understand that one day.”

* * *

 

The next morning, a protocol droid assigned to monitor visitors informs Hux that Rey and Ren have left his residence together. Hux has half a minute to panic before further investigation finds them in the combat simulation room at the officer’s training facilities. Perfectly normal, he reminds himself. The building is located within the government center of the city, a block away and is heavily guarded. Ren doesn’t answer his comms, but Hux has a meeting across from the training facilities anyway, at the Ministry of Defense, so he waits. There’s no need to stress.

After his meeting, he finds them sparring in the largest room, lightsabers drawn and flashing brilliant red, the smell of ozone and crackling electricity in the air. Hux observes them from a raised platform at the back, away from the regular officers where he won’t be seen.

Rey is light on her feet, using her smaller size and greater flexibility to dodge and deflect, unwilling to let Ren overpower her with his greater height and strength. It’s been awhile since he’s seen them train together. Before, when Rey was bitter and angry while still recognizing the value in having Ren train her within the Knights, Hux was always hovering, just out of sight, jealous and cautious when they were together. Ren was unwilling to allow his bondmate to leave for months at a time without proper training. She wanted freedom, independence to find her place in the galaxy without the Resistance, and Hux wanted her out of his sight. Far enough away to keep her from Ren but close enough to still be useful. This was the compromise. Above everything else, Rey is a survivor.

He isn’t sure what he expected, but— maybe he thought Ren would be softer, more reserved with Rey. He always was in the beginning. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. Ren is not holding back with her and Hux prides himself in knowing the difference, and Rey— well, Hux still considers her dangerous at best, an outlier he must tolerate instead of snuff out, and that never settles well within his own ambitions, but he’ll admit that like this, she’s radiant. Beautiful, having grown into herself, sure, and no longer plagued by the timidity of youth or the no-win choices before her. She knows herself now, what she is, what she isn’t, and that confidence draws people into her orbit.  Hux is certainly not immune.

They’re attracting a bit of a crowd outside the reinforced transparasteel walls, left lighted and open for spectators. It was almost certainly Rey who kept it open, as Ren tends to block everyone out when he’s training, preferring solitary simulations with droids. There are very few who can match him in hand-to-hand anyway, and Ren has never been interested in training others, Rey being the exception. The officers crowding in awe will have no reason to have met any powerful Force users, let alone two in the same space. The lightsabers will also be something new, something they’ve only seen in approved holo-films or Empire history readings for their studies.

The lightsaber stun setting used for training still doles out tremendous pain. Hux knows this from personal experience. It sends out a jolt of electricity, infusing every nerve in your body with energy all at once, until you feel ablaze from within. Ren gives a good show of resisting when Rey spears him through the torso, just below his ribs, but she twists just right to draw out an anguished scream Ren can’t possibly hold back.

Ren finally lets his own saber fall and goes to his knees, conceding to the pain until Rey releases him, saber powering off. Ren drops to his hands and knees and clutches his stomach. There’s nothing there, no blood, no entry wound, but he’s winded and hurting but proud. Even Hux can feel his pride in Rey sending him to his knees.

“Hux!” Rey suddenly shouts, staring up at the place where Hux is standing. The room is soundproof, so those outsiders observing won’t hear her beckoning him so informally.

There’s no reason for him to hide, so Hux joins them after he dims the outside walls, giving them some measure of privacy. “I hear you haven’t been training,” Rey challenges, sweat and adrenaline pouring from her, preening from besting her mentor.

“I am proficient with a blaster, better with a sniper rifle. I have no need to keep up with hand-to-hand training. I hire people to do that for me now.”

Rey raises her eyebrows but doesn’t say anything.

Her mouth settles into an arrogant smile while she clips her retracted lightsaber it to her belt in one single fluid motion. She removes her combat gloves, one at a time, and throws them to the ground. Then she cracks the knuckles of her left hand and flexes the cybernetic fingers of her right, eyes never leaving Hux. She’s after something, and Hux is too stubborn to let her win.

Ren sits cross legged on the mats, still heaving by grinning wildly now as if he knows what Rey is planning, backing off to let her— and Hux has half a second to contemplate calling for security before she’s upon him.

He’s taller and weighs more, but he’s out of practice and she is ruthless. They trade blows for a while, point and counterpoint, and Hux thinks he might have the upper hand until Rey does a complicated series of spins that ends with her fist in his face, clipping him on the jaw with enough force to make his head spin. He falls to his knees, spits blood to the mat and squeezes his eyes shut to stay conscious. He’s the Emperor of the fucking galaxy. He won’t have his own pride wounded by passing out from a simple blow to the jaw.

Rey offers him a hand, tipping her head to the side as if she’s assessing a complicated equation. Taking her hand, Hux swipes at the blood dribbling from his split lip with his other, then shrugs off his outer layers. He doesn’t have proper training leggings on, but he doesn’t care. He tastes copper, his lip already swelling, and finds he’s not as concerned as he should be about having to explain the injury to his cabinet members in tomorrow’s meeting.

“Admit you miss this,” Rey challenges, lungs heaving and sweat dripping from her nose and eyebrows. She shoves her hair back with her shoulder and stretches her legs, bouncing between her feet, ready if Hux comes at her again. He’ll have to keep her guessing.

“Grappling like we’re in a back alley bar brawl? Why would you assume I ever did such a thing?”

Ren huffs in disbelief, calling Hux out without words, and Rey just smiles sweetly. “You honestly think I believe that? You didn’t become Emperor without making others bleed. I know that from personal experience. Besides, I was only referring to getting your hands dirty. Feeling it up close rather than letting everyone else do it for you.”

“I don’t need to get my hands dirty.  Not anymore,” Hux insists, suddenly hating the way Rey always makes him question himself, the path he’s chosen by upsetting everything he's made routine. “I have  _everything_ I’ve ever wanted.”

“Except one thing,” Rey reminds him, rushing forward again.

* * *

 

Rey is soaking in Hux’s bath when he awakens on the fourth morning of her visit.

He hasn’t seen her or Ren since their impromptu training session, and he’s tried to stay busy, preferring to bury himself in work rather than obsessing over monitoring their movements. They’ve kept to the eastern rooms mostly, so there’s little to monitor aside from soothing his own insecurities.

The washroom is full of thick steam, even with the windows over the bath cracked open to let in the salt breeze from the rocky coast.

“Your rooms have perfectly adequate plumbing, no need to invade my personal space.”

Rey sinks further into the bath until just her head is above the water’s edge. “My rooms don’t have a bath like this one. I go weeks without bathing on Terra Vir, and less often when I’m doing your bidding in the Unknown Regions. You can understand the appeal of indulging in your luxuries when I’m here.”

The fever must be subsiding for her to willingly part from Ren like this. Good. They’ll be on schedule for the Relen VI envoy.

“Get out,” Hux reiterates, making his way to the toilet. He takes half a second to reconsider before becoming angry about her disturbing his routine and decides to piss anyway, regardless of her proximity or his privacy.

“Fine,” Rey confirms, but she doesn’t really move until Hux is finished and at the sink, splashing water over his face to wake himself. He should definitely be more awake for this.

Rey stands, water dripping from her skin in a rush while she reaches for a towel with the Force. Her cybernetic arm appearing in sharp contrast to the smooth, light skin of her body.

Hux ignores her, brushing his teeth and focusing on his own scowling reflection in the mirror. The swelling on his split lip has gone down from yesterday. He wishes she would go so things can return to normal. He misses waking up with Ren next to him, cocooned in all of their blankets, big body taking up most of the bed. Hux spits, rinses and grabs the shaving cream from its place on the shelf. He tries his best to go about his morning routine without acknowledging the interruption.

Exiting the bath, she passes behind him to pick up the threadbare sleeping tunic and eases it on before returning to sit cross legged on the bath’s wide porcelain edge. The tunic is barely long enough to cover her, slits falling open over her bare thighs, damp skin clinging to it.

She sits quietly for a while, combing her fingers through her wet hair before separating it and braiding small sections down to the ends. This takes longer than Hux would have guessed, a meticulous process that is surprisingly intricate. Where it hasn’t been shaved, her hair is longer now, nearly reaching her hips.

After awhile, she says, “You have an excellent set of razors. I enjoyed using them very much,” and she stretches her arms up, feeling the smoothness of her underarms.

Hux looks down at his razors in distaste. He’ll need a droid to wash them properly, but is too stubborn to stop using the one in his hand.

“I’m glad I could accommodate your needs while you—”

“—while I fuck your husband?” Rey supplies without shame.

Hux grits his teeth. “He’s not my—”

“He is,” Rey insists, scoffing. “Won’t they eventually call for you to marry? I cannot imagine I’d like to be around for that conversation. Heads will certainly roll.”

Hux cannot let her get under his skin. It’s what she wants. Instead, he focuses on his shave, easies his grip on the base of the razor so he won’t be tempted to use it as a weapon.

When she’s done braiding her hair, she twists the strands together until they’re wrapped tightly into a second, larger braid and she secures the end with a bit of synthetic fabric, lost in her own thoughts.

She stands, silent as ever while she draws closer. The door is just near the sink where Hux is standing, and he assumes she will leave without another word, but instead she turns to swipe a missed bit of shaving cream from the nape of his neck.

The scar at his shoulder must catch her eyes. Without asking, she touches the starburst of tangled scar tissue with the cool metal of her cybernetic fingers. The scar was put there by her own hand, but she won’t have seen it since it happened, her searing lightsaber cutting into Hux’s skin and muscle. A reminder of her last stand. Those moments when he was pinned to the ground by her lightsaber, before Ren freed him, were the most painful moments he’s known in this life.

“You never had it smoothed over,” she notes. “Dermal regeneration is quite easy with medi-droids.”

“No. It’s— too late for that. It’s a good reminder of why you had no reason to let me live. If you had decided to stab me just a little lower, well—” Hux slides a hand down from the scar to rest over his heart.

Without hesitation, Rey says, “Ben is the reason. I had a reason. It’s always him.”

Hux nods, feeling strangely connected to her for it. “Yes. He is, isn’t he?”

And Hux thinks of her cybernetic, the discordant memory of splitting the original arm from her body, the power and satisfaction he felt while he stood over her, knowing what a lucky shot it was, a force-null without any saber training, just before she thrust her own saber through  _his_  shoulder with her last bit of strength.

The memory holds no pride for him any longer, and he hopes it’s the same for her. It’s all dead weight now, forever dragging him down.  He wonders why she chose to keep the cybernetic when she could have an organic one generated and transplanted by now. Perhaps it reminds her of Luke. Or— perhaps it’s the same reason Hux keeps his scar, why Ren keeps his.

Physical reminders of what brought them to this very moment. What’s left to fight for.

Rey hums like she’s agreeing to all of this. Hux doesn’t think she’s listening to his thoughts, but he’s not always able to tell with her. She places the palm of her organic hand against the entry of Hux’s lightsaber wound, between his collarbone and breastbone. Her hand is warm from the bath, still damp, and he wonders if she can feel some kind of residual Force energy there, if the memory is sharper when she touches the scar.

Rey says, “I’ve decided to stay a few days more.”

“Those aren’t your orders,” Hux reminds her, running his hand over his chin to make sure he got everything and uses a towel to pat his skin dry once he’s satisfied.  The rest feels like an odd moment of clarity welling up from the animosity still left between them. “When you’re here, you upset everything I work hard to keep in order.”

Rey gives him a wide open smile that seems to brighten the room. “I know.”

She disappears around the corner, and Hux is sure he doesn’t hear the door opening and closing, no matter how he strains to hear.

 


	2. Chapter 2

The Relen VI mission briefing lasts two hours. Ren sits next to Hux, listening without comment to their generals explaining the logistics. Four hundred stormtroopers will accompany Ren aboard the  _Victory_ star destroyer to Relen VI. They’ll capture the leaders of the black market trade disturbance and return them to Tyarina, where they’ll be tried as traitors to the Empire.

Despite Rey’s protests, there are no plans for quarter of civilians. The senate has recommended the numerous spies there must be cut out like a cancer for the protection of the Empire. There are three small settlements of roughly two hundred inhabitants, each loosely connected to the others for trade and familial ties, and all will be eliminated to deter any further unauthorized activity in the region.

“Rey should officially join the envoy,” Ren says in the transport while returning back to their residence. It’s the first time he’s spoken since they left. Hux knows these kinds of missions never sit well with him. It seems the killing of civilians wears in him more that it ever did when Snoke was controlling him, but he’s yet to protest his orders. Hux feels it coming now, like something inevitable, rushing up to meet them whether Hux wants it or not.

Ren’s knee is bouncing, body telling him he’s too far away from Rey. It’s the fifth day and the need has eased, so Hux will admit he was more anxious about leaving Rey to herself in their residence, than taking Ren away from her for any length of time.

“No, and don’t ask me why. You know why.”

_Don’t make this personal. I need a Force user, someone I trust to carry out this mission with me._

Hux scoffs. Trusting Rey is dangerous— for both of them.

Ren spreads out, slumps down in the seat until his thighs are touching Hux’s. It annoys Hux that Ren is using proximity as a point of persuasion, but he doesn’t move away either.

With a big hand on Hux’s forearm, Ren pulls him closer, rests his arm over the headrest until Hux slumps against him. Ren is rarely affectionate, but sometimes when Rey is here, the fever draws it out of him and Hux will admit it holds appeal. Sometimes.

“She’s coming anyway. If you make her part of the envoy, it can be your idea and I won’t have to deal with the admiralty when she involves herself in official orders,” Ren reasons aloud this time, choosing his words carefully. He must have put some thought into this already. Probably, Rey has asked him to try persuasion.

“No. There is nothing I want less than being without you for two weeks and knowing she’ll be there instead. Officially or not. She has separate orders, and I expect her to follow them.”

Ren sighs, like Hux is being purposefully difficult and he can do little about it. There’s more going on here, and Hux waits for further explanation, needing Ren to say it aloud.

“I won’t order the slaughter of those children, Hux. Not for the senate, not for the Empire, not for you. If you let her come, we have an alternate— unofficial plan.”

Hux stares out the window, to the bustling streets of his city, alive, thriving under his guidance and protection because of the decisions he’s made. “Careful, Ren. You’re speaking of treason.” Hux means for the words to be forceful, but they come out contemplative, weary.

“I’m speaking about innocent blood on my hands, on yours, and about right and wrong, because it does still exist no matter how often we tell ourselves it doesn’t. If you let us do this, the senate will never know. If you don’t, I’ll do it anyway. I won’t add to the list of mistakes I’ve made in this lifetime. I _can’t._ Without her, it will be incredibly difficult. With her—”

Hux doesn’t want to hear anymore, feeling the control slip from his hands like so much sand.

“You don’t need _redeeming_ , Ren. _She_ does this to you. Twists you up inside until you feel like you need to atone for all those things you’ve fought and bled to acquire. Those things that _belong_ to you now by _right_. You don’t need to apologize for any of it. _We_ don’t need to apologize!”

“This isn’t an apology for the past. If it were about that, I’d go insane trying. This is a step toward something better. For all of us.”

* * *

 

Hux is busy the rest of the day with preparations for the envoy. Approving risk assessments, listening to his Minister of Trade complain, and overseeing budget lines as they’re adjusted for an additional 200 ‘troopers at Hux’s insistence. He sees Ren in passing more than once as he makes his own preparations, but they don’t have time for any private conversations. Ren is good at letting Hux come to his own conclusions after his opinions have been heard, but things are far from settled between them.

At dusk, Hux finds Ren in their rooms meditating. He’s kneeling with the lights low, palms resting on his thighs. He doesn’t move, but Hux feels the small push of familiarity Ren sends in greeting, mind reaching out to envelope him in warmth, but even this is far from a concession.

Ren will be leaving at 0800 hours for Relen VI and Rey has her own orders she will certainly defy, but he’s choosing to remain ignorant of that for now.

Rey is on their balcony, bare feet propped on the railing, dressed in an oversized training tunic that probably belongs to Ren. Hux’s private stash of cigarras are open on the table, one spent in the ashtray already.

Hux is tired of fighting with her, so chooses not to be irritated at her presence. It’s better that she’s in his line of sight anyway.

She doesn’t look up when Hux joins her, just soberly stares out at the sea, lost in her own thoughts. Hux lights another cigarra and sits down next to her on the lounge bench, unlacing his boots and shrugging out of his great coat. He rarely has moments to sit out here anymore, but the ocean’s steady rhythm and crash against the cliff face is soothing once in a while, and the brilliant setting of the planet’s orbital star, Helios, always gives him pause when he manages to catch it. He’s reminded of why he chose this place for his residence years ago.

“Those things are vile,” Rey states, the smoke pluming around Hux, carried away by the wind.

“Yes. So vile you’ve specifically looked for these, found my hiding place, and have already finished one.”

Rey smiles, leaning over to steal the cigarra from Hux’s lips while he unlaces the second boot. “Well, if you’re offering.”

“I wasn’t,” Hux grumbles, but only reaches over to light a third cigarra. Ren never smokes and barely touches alcohol, hates anything that alters his mind, and likes to lecture Hux on his vices when he's most in need of them. It’s nice to have someone around willing to share and not judge him in the process.

“How’s your lip?” Rey asks, taking a deep drag.

With the hand holding the cigarra, he touches fingertips to his mouth. “Fine. Better today.” It still stings at certain angles, but the swelling is going down and it’s scabbed over. No one at his cabinet meeting or the mission briefing mentioned it, but Hux could see the questions in their eyes. He likes keeping them on their toes.

“The two of you aren’t meditating— in tandem,” Hux observes, not knowing the correct terminology, if such a thing even exists.

Rey laughs likes it’s an absurd suggestion.  “No. Absolutely not.”

Hux frowns at her, knowing it is possible at least, and wanting to know why without having to ask. Rey goes on without prompting.

“We’ve tried and it’s been a complete disaster everytime. It’s like—” She stops to take a drag on the cigarra, probably deciding how she might describe something that a force-null wouldn’t understand. “It’s like having two pilots inside one tie fighter, only you cannot control who’s piloting at any given moment and the trajectory dismantles itself and reforms with every switch. It’s exhilarating for brief moments, a euphoric high neither of us can reach alone, but once the mental adjustment catches up, we end up nose diving under the weight of each other’s subconscious. As you can imagine, Ben hates the lack of control, and it gives me nasty vertigo. I vomit from the comedown each time. Decidedly _not_ how meditation should end.”

Hux curls his lip in disgust. “Entirely too much information, but appreciated nonetheless.”

“Has he never tried to enter your mind while meditating?”

“He has,” Hux draws out, then adds, “The sex is fantastic.”

Experiencing his own orgasm as Ren feels it is exhilarating and the free fall of emotions that reverberate between them is unmatched, and Hux suspects it never will be. The first time they tried it, it was something new for both of them, the trust and acceptance sealed between them like a promise. Hux is sure he couldn’t live without the intimate sensation of Ren sinking into his mind like he belongs there.

Rey smiles sadly, closes her eyes and nods. “I miss it.”

Hux knows who she’s thinking about. Before the Resistance fell, before they were dragged onto the same side of things regardless of what they really wanted.

For some strange reason, Hux feels compelled to say, “I never offered condolences for what happened to FN-2187, Finn was it?”

It was complicated back then, chaotic for a while, where every breath felt like the last. Hux would have killed Finn if he had the chance, but that’s not what happened. The consequences for Finn infiltrating the _Supremacy_ were out of Hux’s hands at the time. Hux will always admire how close Finn came to single handedly dismantling the First Order even if his success would have meant Hux’s death— and Ren’s by extension.

“No, you never did,” Rey sighs.  “But I never asked for sympathy. Least of all from you.”

“Regardless, I know what he meant to you. Many things happened back then that I’m not proud of.”

“Finn made choices— and I made choices. Just as you and Ben did. Keeping that kind of hate in my heart would destroy me. Finn wouldn’t want that.”

“Where would we be right now if he had succeeded?” There isn’t really an answer for it.  A turning point to an alternate reality none of them can imagine. Rey's gaze lingers just a moment longer than Hux is comfortable with.

“What?” Hux complains, fully expecting he’ll abhor whatever she wants to say.

“No, it’s something Ben said to me earlier, but I’m not sure you’ll want to hear it from me.”

When Rey doesn’t immediately continue, Hux says, “Out with it then, you can’t say something like that and then retract it.”

“He said, you were the first person that truly accepted him as he was. Not me, not Luke, not Leia or Han. That was you. And he said, in turn, he would always accept you as you are.”

It’s true that Hux has never been interested in where Ren comes from, the legacy of Darth Vader, or the faults of his youth. Ren has as much right to make his own fate as anyone, and Hux has always known Ren appreciated this.

“I don’t believe those words would ever leave Ren’s mouth without your influence, so— thank you, I think,” Hux says uncertainly, ducking his head to hide the blush. He’s never one to take personal praise at face value, especially when he feels it's undeserved. Regardless, it’s not something Ren would ever say aloud to him, so he’s strangely grateful for Rey’s honesty.

Acceptance. That’s always been part of their relationship. It took some time, but Hux can easily say he trusts Ren, trusts his instincts and his loyalty. It’s dangerous letting the two of them go off mission, and more dangerous if Hux gives them permission, but if it’s important to them, saving those nameless children, then Hux won’t be able to stop them anyway.

“I’ve decided to let you accompany the envoy to Relen VI,” Hux says. “It’s important to Ren and I have come to trust his judgement.”

She looks surprised, like she’s not sure what ulterior motives led him to accept their proposal. “He told you our plan?”

“He said enough. It’s better if I’m unaware of the details of any— unofficial business while on Relen VI.”

Rey nods, understanding.

“Don’t let him do anything to get himself killed, and don’t—”

Rey beams, reaching out to squeeze Hux’s forearm, and Hux realizes after it’s too late that he’s asked her to care for the one he holds most dear in this world, his fucking Achilles heel. He doesn’t trust her with most things, but there are few who could or would protect Ren from harm. She will. Hux knows she wouldn’t betray Ren, not now, not anymore.

Rey ashes her cigarra, leaning over Hux to reach the ashtray, and then lounges on her back so her head rests against his thigh. It’s probably foolish, but Hux finds himself clinging to the belief that she will keep Ren from harm.

“Hux. It will be fine,” she reassures him, probably sensing his unease with the situation. “I’ll make sure he comes back to you.”

She can’t know that for certain, especially if they’re caught and Hux is left with the impossible choice between his savior and his empire, but it helps to hear the words anyway. Hux idly fiddles with her braid, likes the way her clean hair feels against his fingertips.

They’re both falling into a relaxed half-asleep state when Rey says, “Do you know what else Ben said to me about you?”

Hux hums in acknowledgement but keeps his eyes closed. He’s comfortable and she has the potential to ruin the mood with whatever else she feels she needs to share. He wants to tell her to leave it alone, to stop risking this fragile ceasefire catching between them, but Rey has never been one to aire on the side of caution.

“He said you are excellent with your mouth. Must be why he keeps you around.”

Hux laughs, fully caught off guard by her attempt at lightening the mood. When he looks down, Rey is giving him one of her light-up the room kind of smiles that always send Hux somewhere serene— hopeful, like the world might fold into whatever astonishing dreams she has for it just because it’s she who asked. She’s pleased for having made him laugh.

“That is the most ridiculous attempt at goading me into a challenge I’ve ever heard in my life,” Hux swears.

Rey has the nerve to look surprised, mouth comically wide. “You can ask him if you don’t believe me!”

“If you want it so badly, just fucking ask.”

Hux has never been one to back down from a challenge once it’s issued.

Rey huffs, embarrassed for once.

Instead of admitting it outright, she murmurs, “I wouldn’t say no. He wouldn’t say no. Not anymore.”

“Then there’s nothing left to say about it,” Hux says, considering the matter closed.

She inevitably has other plans, because she sits up and repositions herself on Hux’s thighs, facing him. She’s heavier than he would have expected, all compact muscle and barely contained confidence, blocking his view of the ocean with her curious gaze. The sun is setting in the distance, warming Rey’s back, and Hux likes the feel of her bare skin against his fingertips.

“No there isn’t, is there?” And she leans forward to brush her mouth against his, tentative and sweet. She pulls back, prepared to leave it at that, but Hux holds her in place with a hand at the back of her neck and kisses her deeply to let her know it's okay, he's curious about how they might fit together like this too.

Hux feels the sting at his mouth, but she’s gentle, mindful of his injury and in no rush. They stay like that for a while, learning the curl of each other’s tongues and the pressure it takes to gain a particular reaction.

Rey pulls back, letting the comfortable mood settle over them. She traces the features of his face with her organic hand— the frown lines of his forehead, the curve of one eyebrow, the shape of his nose, then smooths her thumb over the cut on his lip before leaning forward with her head into his shoulder, nose against his throat. She guides his hands to her bare thighs, pushing the tunic higher. An invitation and show of solidarity all at once.

_Regardless of what we wanted in the beginning, we’re in this together now, and I’ve always been an all or nothing sort of person._

She sends this telepathically, and Hux lets out a shuddery breath when the gentle pulse overcomes him. Her voice in his head is still something new, distinctly different from the ease and familiarity of Ren's voice, but it feels no less _right_.

* * *

 

When Hux leaves Rey napping on the balcony to rouse his protocol droid and ask for dinner to be brought to his rooms, a glass of wine for each of them, Ren is on their bed, eyes closed, sitting perfectly still.  Hux thinks he might be asleep.

Ren likely knows he just spent the better part of an hour curled with Rey in his lap, kissing her slowly while the sun set behind them, meeting somewhere in the middle of all of their differences with the kind of ease he never thought possible.  If Ren had a problem with any of it, he would have done something about it by now, Hux reasons.

Without opening his eyes, Ren takes hold of Hux’s wrist as he passes, pulls him closer until Hux has to place one knee on the bed to steady himself. When Ren kisses him, Hux realizes how starved he’s been of Ren’s touch in the last few days.

He settles himself on Ren’s thighs and takes advantage of Ren’s pliant serenity. When the fever leaves him, it’s always like this. Ren melts into Hux like everything has reset within him, and he’s content, newly cleansed— free of all the rage and chaos that sticks to his insides and builds up over time. This is the part he always wants to share with Hux, usually just after Rey leaves. Hux used to hate that it was only Rey who could lead him into this level of calm. Now, Hux understands this part is about them both asking and offering forgiveness all at once, reconnecting, and he never takes that for granted.

This time is different though.

Rey is still here.

“Rey is still here,” Hux says aloud, looking at Ren curiously because there is something distinctly different about the way Ren is touching him.

_She won’t come to our bed without your permission. This isn’t about her._

Ren tries to kiss him again, but Hux holds his jaw away, says, “She’s on our balcony, Ren. Where is she going to go? Also, this is _entirely_ about her, because I get the distinct impression the two of you have come to some kind of agreement about me without my input.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ren says roughly, but he’s also smiling like a fool who can’t keep a secret.

Hux can feel Rey hovering just outside his mind, and he wonders if anyone else can feel it like he can, when a force user is seeking entry without that person knowing. Maybe he’s just had practice and knows the signs.

“Is she watching us?” Hux wants to know, pitching his voice toward annoyance, though the thought is unfairly arousing.

_She’s not, but I’ll let her in if you want it. She’s already touching herself._

Hux rolls his eyes at their utter lack of subtlety in two-timing him. It doesn’t matter, because he can’t really remain mad about it. He’ll just have to turn this around to his own liking _._

“Rey!” Hux shouts, loud enough that she’ll hear it on the balcony if she really is awake and touching herself. To Ren, he says, “I have something I want to prove to her and since you both need punishing for conspiracy, you’re going to watch.”

Rey is there in exactly ten seconds, standing in the open door, a knowing grin on her face.

“If you stand there with the door open, I’ll send you away again.”

Slamming the door first with the Force, Rey takes a deep breath but stops at the edge of the bed, still uncertain while her curiosity pushes her forward.

To Rey, Hux says, “I intend to prove to you how good I am with my mouth, unless you have objections?”

Rey leans forward, pressing her mouth to Hux’s with so much relief, Hux can feel it in his bones.

Hux pulls her toward them by the arm and eases her on the bed on her back while he settles between her legs, still kissing her. He hasn’t been with a woman in a long time, but it’s not like one forgets how.

Rey wriggles out of the tunic without any hesitation, regaining her confidence, and Hux splays his hands across her bare stomach and fans them out over her ribs. He feels the weight of her breasts, trails open mouthed kisses between them, and sucks at each pink nipple, liking the hitched sighs she’s making.

Ren seems content to do as he’s told, sit back and watch, until that becomes too innerving for Hux to take, mostly because he’s the only one in the room who can’t read thoughts.

 _It’s good_ , Ren sends his way. _I like watching you together._

Hux gives up far too soon on his own punishment, takes a handful of Ren’s hair and pulls him forward until he’s lying beside Rey, trading measured kisses between them while Hux trails lower, a hand on each of her thighs to push them up and apart.

She yelps in surprise when Hux bites the skin along her pubic bone, but it serves its purpose. They both look at him, their attention off each other and on him for once. Rey laughs and swats at his shoulder, letting the tension instantly evaporate.

Ren interrupts Hux’s deliberate work though, managing to get his big fingers inside Rey first, two to begin. Hux watches Ren’s hand moving over her, index and middle disappearing and appearing again. Smoothing his fingers between Ren’s, Hux easing her labia open and touches her clit gently.

“You’re so wet already,” Hux muses, reminding himself how all of this works more than anything else. “So open.”

“You will be too,” Ren murmurs against Hux’s ear, wrapping his fist around the inside of Hux’s thigh with his other hand, reminding them both who’s dick will make it that way.

“Yes, but don’t assume you’re completely in the clear. I’m sure Rey will look marvelous stretching _you_ open while you cry for release.”

Ren leans in to nip at Hux’s ear playfully and Hux grabs another handful of his hair until their mouths seal together, high on anticipation while their cocks are quickly filling.

A third hand slides between theirs while they kiss, and Rey looks impatient, staring up at them with half-lidded eyes and a pretty flush to her cheeks, “If you two are busy, I’ll just—”

Realizing their neglect, Hux pulls her hand away and ducks down to lick at her center. Of course Ren doesn't move his hand, so Hux licks around his fingers, concentrating on her clit. Rey gasps aloud, making this choked off hiccuping sound when Ren gets three fingers inside her and pushes up high inside. Rey only looks aroused and not in pain, so this must be Ren showing Hux what she likes. That same satisfying feeling of fullness that Hux loves about Ren’s cock filling _him_ up. It appears he and Rey have something else in common.

Hux bites Ren’s wrist until he moves his hand away. “You’re complicating this for me,” Hux explains, dragging Rey forward until her knees are hitched up high and set wide apart. He positions her hands to hold the back of her thighs exactly where he wants them. Hux likes this position for himself as well.

“I’ll complicate you,” Ren challenges, reaching back to swat Hux’s arse before pressing up close from behind, rubbing his hard dick all along Hux’s crack. They’re both still clothed, but Ren moves to quickly take care of his own. He leaves them for a few minutes, and Hux hopes wherever he’s going includes retrieving lube.

Rey isn’t shy about coaching Hux, lets him know through the sounds she makes if he’s getting her there. She reaches down to hold his face still once or twice and grinds up against his mouth. It’s surprising the first time, and smarts against his healing lip, but Hux knows it’s coming when she does it again and rides it out as gracefully as he can manage. It’s more tolerable than Ren choking him with his cock on occasion. Both of them tending toward the demanding end of the sexual neediness spectrum.

When Ren returns, he tugs at Hux’s undershirt until Hux pulls back, breathing hard and far more turned on than he remembers from ever going down on any girl in his past.

While kissing and licking at Hux’s mouth, probably tasting more of Rey than himself, Ren helps him pull his shirt off and backs him up to stand, so he can get his uniform trousers and underwear off too.

“Can you get her off and take me at the same time?” Ren says from behind, like he’s genuinely curious and also like he might hate Hux if he dared to say no. Hux is so aroused by the _idea_ , he hasn’t a clue if he really _can_ or not. _Will it be like this all time? Will you always find ways to surprise me with your unassuming words?_ Hux want to ask, then remembers he doesn’t have to ask if he thinks it loud enough.

 _You can_ , Ren sends mentally, obviously fixating on his own question rather than hearing Hux’s more important ones. Ren grabs Hux’s hard dick with one sure hand and rubs his own against Hux’s arse. It’s a dry tug, but Hux always likes Ren holding him with his big hand when he’s hard. Ren suddenly has the tube of lube in the other one, produced exactly when they’re in need.

Mesmerized, Hux leans back against Ren’s shoulder while he watches him get his right hand drenched in the stuff. It’s entirely too much, and Hux is going to ask him exactly what he intends to do with all of it, but forgets what he was going to say when Ren uses the lubed-up fingers to pump his cock.

“Oh,” Rey moans.

They both look back at Rey while she makes another quiet little moan she’s trying to hold back between clenched teeth. She’s staring back, the flush high on her cheeks now traveling her neck to the center of her chest. She’s touching herself, legs open so they can see everything, her slick and swollen folds, circling her clit with two fingertips with sure strokes before easing away with a gasp, holding herself back from orgasm.

Ren takes Hux by the hips and shoves him forward to the bed.

“Yes. That. We’re doing that,” Ren is saying, breathless and inarticulate, but he still gets his point across. Thankful for the sure directions for once, Hux crawls toward Rey, and Ren’s hands are already on him, following closely behind and trailing lube everywhere until one finger presses in, finding its moving target.

Ren is already working him open with two before he’s able to position Rey as he wants her.

When Ren pushes in with his cock with a relieved grunt, Hux gasps against Rey’s inner thigh. Ren filling him up always takes a few moments for Hux to collect himself, particularly when Ren isn’t giving him time to adjust, just rolls his hips forward as soon as he’s all the way in. Rey pets Hux’s hair in sympathy while she waits, fidgeting a little when his stubble rasps against the skin of her lower belly. When she strains her neck to watch with curiosity, Hux arches his back, giving her what he hopes is a better view. He knows Ren is magnificent like this.

It takes some coordination, and Ren isn’t gentle or helpful, but Rey lets Hux know exactly the amount of pressure that will get her there fastest, no longer content to wait.

Rey comes before Ren does, tensing up against Hux’s mouth until she’s moaning in little hitched breaths and pulling at Hux’s neck to urge him to continue sucking her through it, rocking against him longer than he thought possible. When he lets up, he pushes his fingers inside to feel her wet release, paints it across her swollen labia, and she purrs with contentment. Rey pulls him up to her mouth until he’s nestled between her thighs, sweat-slick and rubbing his cock into her wet heat with every thrust from Ren behind them, certain he’ll be able to come just like this.

“Come inside me,” Rey whispers, and Hux is past needing to be told something like that twice, so he pushes into her, and she throws her head back, gripping Hux’s bicep tighter with her cybernetic than she probably meant to. Hux doesn’t do much else besides let Ren rock them together while he lays his head against Rey’s breast and mouths at the other.

Ren comes soon after, digging his hand so hard into Hux’s hip, he’s sure there will be a bruise. Hux follows, thrown over the edge when Ren pushes his fingers back into his hole. He pulls Hux open again with his thumbs to let his come dribble free in a hot messy slide while Rey’s ankles dig into his back to keep him in place.

* * *

 

When the seabirds are awakening and light is beginning to gather at the edges of the curtains, Ren whispers into the stillness, “We’ve been going about this all wrong from the beginning.”

Hux doesn’t open his eyes. This is the last conversation he wants to have two hours before Ren is set to leave him. Before they’ll both leave him. Hux hums to acknowledge that he heard Ren and hopes he’ll leave it alone. He doesn’t, of course.

“This time is different. Rey can feel it too.”

Hux does open his eyes at that. Ren is facing him, Rey spooned between them, her face against Hux’s shoulder, leaving a wet smear where she’s drooling in her sleep. “How wonderfully convenient for you,” Hux grouses, though his heart is swelling, thumping too hard against his chest. Rey must feel it.

“Hux,” Ren warns. “Don’t dismiss this. I think—”

Hux groans and turns on his back, staring up at the ceiling, and is quietly pleased Rey follows him, fitting her body against his hip, head pillowed on his chest. “Ren, please stop, because if you say something like: _I love you both and we should try making this work,_ I will execute you in the street with my own blaster.”

“Quiet,” Rey complains, petulant and half muffled against Hux’s chest. “Both of you.”

“Yes, it’s better if you don’t say anything else—” Hux continues. To get his attention, Rey bites his nipple, hard, and Hux makes this embarrassing whine and squirms until she lets go. “—so I can go on pretending like nothing has changed. Let me live in the safety of my own denial for a little longer. Just— give me that. _Please_.”

Ren leans over them both, presses a quick kiss to Hux’s temple, and then to Rey’s cheek after he smooths back her hair.

He’s quiet after, finally doing as he’s told.

* * *

 

Ren kisses Hux deeply before securing his helmet into place. This is how they say goodbye, never with words. Words could never do this justice, Ren said a long time ago, and Hux hates their finality, so they never say goodbye anymore.

“It’s time,” Ren says to Rey, and Rey nods, mouth a hard line, eyes painted in kohl. She’s ready.

When Ren is out of hearing distance, Hux catches Rey by the arm. There’s something else she must do unofficially, while they’re away. “Take him to see his mother," Hux says. “Don’t—tell him I gave you permission. Just make sure he comes back after.”

Rey goes up on her toes to press a kiss to Hux's cheek and brushes her thumb over his healing lip.  She nods once to confirm, then smiles affectionately before securing her helmet in place and replacing her hood.

“Rey—”

“I know,” she reassures him, squeezing his forearm with her cybernetic hand. “I swore to you I would protect and serve. I won’t let him face this alone. Neither of you.”

* * *

 

The three of them walk the hallways together, Ren and Rey with Hux between them. Hux imagines what a sight they are like this, the Emperor of the First Order flanked by his pair of force-using, lightsaber-wielding knights. Powerful, untouchable, synchronized. A stalwart symbol to any who might stand in their way.

Just inside the hanger, Hux stands still and Ren and Rey continue on together, their shoulders brushing as Hux’s personal guard are replace with a squad of stormtroopers. Without looking back, they ascend the ramp to enter the transport that will take them to the _Victory_ , and further on toward the Unknown Regions.

When it’s finished, Hux is certain they will return to him, both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> I made a mood board to go along with this fic [here.](http://samedifference61.tumblr.com/post/170722192002/sirens-song-written-for-reyluxnotbang-rey-the) I'm samedifference61 on tumblr.


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